Private citizens volunteer to clean up national parks as shutdown drags on – ThinkProgress:
January 14, 2019 - "Local groups and concerned organizations are stepping up to help maintain national parks amid the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.... [R]eligious groups, non-profits, and bands of concerned private citizens are ... pitching in ... amid reports of mounting trash and unmonitored restrooms....
"Hundreds of people across the country have stepped up so far. ThinkProgress identified at least five efforts led by organizations including Friends of Joshua Tree, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, and several local Libertarian Facebook pages... These efforts alone have seen hundreds of volunteers helping out in public areas over the past three weeks. But there are likely dozens of other instances as well, with non-profits and local political groups among those who have pitched in.
"Garnering the most headlines recently is Joshua Tree National Park.... John Lauretig, executive director of the non-profit group Friends of Joshua Tree... told ThinkProgress that from the second day of the shutdown onwards, volunteers gathered every morning to go and check toilets, haul away trash, and generally ensure the area’s well-being ... in groups that ranged from a handful of people to 40, and, on one occasion, over 100. Donations also came pouring in, allowing for the purchase of an essential item: toilet paper....
"During previous extended shutdowns, the government chose to close the parks. But the Trump administration has opted to keep around two-thirds of National Park Service (NPS) sites open [although] only 3,298 NPS employees have been deemed essential personnel out of 24,681 nationally....
"The Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, a community service group for young men, has launched a widely-covered ongoing effort to aid parks around the country.... Salaam Bhatti, a spokesperson for the organization, told ThinkProgress that regional offices across the country have looked into the parks nearest to them and ... volunteers have gone to Cuyahoga in Ohio, the Everglades in Florida, Olympic in Washington State, and both Independence Hall in Philadelphia and the National Mall in Washington, D.C....
"In some parks, efforts by good Samaritans are paying off. A volunteer group in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park, united by a Libertarian Party Facebook outreach, told the Denver Post that their efforts to go and clean in the area were largely unnecessary, as the park was much cleaner than expected and largely undisturbed by visitors. They noted that the park’s good condition was likely due to clean-up efforts by other groups....
"Last week, the government indicated that it would use earmarked funds made through entrance and camping fees, among others, to keep high-traffic parks open and supervised, including Joshua Tree. For some, that move has been a relief.
“'The park is the economic engine that keeps the desert rolling,' said Lauretig. '[When] the park closes, [it’s] not good for the economy.'”
Read more: https://thinkprogress.org/shutdown-volunteers-national-parks-trump-d827f7f15a30/
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January 14, 2019 - "Local groups and concerned organizations are stepping up to help maintain national parks amid the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.... [R]eligious groups, non-profits, and bands of concerned private citizens are ... pitching in ... amid reports of mounting trash and unmonitored restrooms....
"Hundreds of people across the country have stepped up so far. ThinkProgress identified at least five efforts led by organizations including Friends of Joshua Tree, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, and several local Libertarian Facebook pages... These efforts alone have seen hundreds of volunteers helping out in public areas over the past three weeks. But there are likely dozens of other instances as well, with non-profits and local political groups among those who have pitched in.
"Garnering the most headlines recently is Joshua Tree National Park.... John Lauretig, executive director of the non-profit group Friends of Joshua Tree... told ThinkProgress that from the second day of the shutdown onwards, volunteers gathered every morning to go and check toilets, haul away trash, and generally ensure the area’s well-being ... in groups that ranged from a handful of people to 40, and, on one occasion, over 100. Donations also came pouring in, allowing for the purchase of an essential item: toilet paper....
"During previous extended shutdowns, the government chose to close the parks. But the Trump administration has opted to keep around two-thirds of National Park Service (NPS) sites open [although] only 3,298 NPS employees have been deemed essential personnel out of 24,681 nationally....
"The Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, a community service group for young men, has launched a widely-covered ongoing effort to aid parks around the country.... Salaam Bhatti, a spokesperson for the organization, told ThinkProgress that regional offices across the country have looked into the parks nearest to them and ... volunteers have gone to Cuyahoga in Ohio, the Everglades in Florida, Olympic in Washington State, and both Independence Hall in Philadelphia and the National Mall in Washington, D.C....
"In some parks, efforts by good Samaritans are paying off. A volunteer group in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park, united by a Libertarian Party Facebook outreach, told the Denver Post that their efforts to go and clean in the area were largely unnecessary, as the park was much cleaner than expected and largely undisturbed by visitors. They noted that the park’s good condition was likely due to clean-up efforts by other groups....
"Last week, the government indicated that it would use earmarked funds made through entrance and camping fees, among others, to keep high-traffic parks open and supervised, including Joshua Tree. For some, that move has been a relief.
“'The park is the economic engine that keeps the desert rolling,' said Lauretig. '[When] the park closes, [it’s] not good for the economy.'”
Read more: https://thinkprogress.org/shutdown-volunteers-national-parks-trump-d827f7f15a30/
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